He's played guitar for years but after touring with all-star band Hollywood Vampires, it seems as though Johnny Depp has been bitten by the musician bug hard. And now he's teamed up with guitar legend Jeff Beck.
A topical cover of John Lennon's Isolation is the first fruit of the duo's labours. And it sounds like more will follow.
“Johnny and I have been working on music together for a while now," says Beck, "and we recorded this track during our time in the studio last year. We weren’t expecting to release it so soon but given all the hard days and true ‘isolation’ that people are going through in these challenging times, we decided now might be the right time to let you all hear it.
Classic interview: Jeff Beck on his love of the Strat and working with Rod Stewart
“You’ll be hearing more from Johnny and me in a little while but until then we hope you find some comfort and solidarity in our take on this Lennon classic.”
Added Depp: “Jeff Beck and I recorded this song Isolation last year, as our take on a beautiful John Lennon tune. Lennon’s poetry – 'We’re afraid of everyone. Afraid of the sun!’ – seemed to Jeff and me especially profound right now, this song about isolation, fear, and existential risks to our world.
“So we wanted to give it to you, and hope it helps you make sense of the moment or just helps you pass the time as we endure isolation together.”
As well as Depp on vocals and BEck on guitar, the lineup also includes Beck's longtime collaborators Vinnie Colaiuta on drums and Rhonda Smith on bass.
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Rob is the Reviews Editor for GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars, so spends most of his waking hours (and beyond) thinking about and trying the latest gear while making sure our reviews team is giving you thorough and honest tests of it. He's worked for guitar mags and sites as a writer and editor for nearly 20 years but still winces at the thought of restringing anything with a Floyd Rose.

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